Soap Making Tips

Saponification Table

How much Lye should you use in order to saponify a specific fat or oil? Use this simple saponification table of the most commonly used ingredients to find out.

Multiply the number of grams per fat/oil ingredient by the SAP Number below. Remember, most recipes call for more than one ingredient. In that case, you will need to figure the amount of lye for each of the ingredients separately and then add them together to achieve proper saponification.

Oil & Fat (acid)

SAP

Hard/Soft

cleansing

fluffy lather

stable lather

skin care

avocado oil

.1337

soft

fair

yes

no

best

coconut oil

.1911

hard

great

yes

no

fair

castor oil

.1286

soft

fair

yes

yes

great

olive oil

.1353

soft

good

no

no

great

palm oil

.142

hard

great

no

yes

fair

peanut oil

.137

soft

fair

no

yes

great

soybean oil

.1359

soft

good

no

yes

fair

sweet almond oil

.1373

soft

good

no

yes

best

jojoba oil

.0695

soft

fair

no

yes

great

kukui nut oil

.1355

soft

good

no

yes

great

lard

.1387

hard

good

no

yes

fair

tallow

.1405

hard

good

no

yes

fair

Across the top of the table are 7 columns that detail the characteristics of each ingredient when used in soap making.